


Let's go to the sea

by justelaura



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: A little bit of angst, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Just a little I swear, Mutual Pining, Shadowhunters WLW Bingo, Slow Burn, childhood crushes reunion au, childhoold friends to lovers, claia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-01 00:13:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20248966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justelaura/pseuds/justelaura
Summary: “I could never forget you.”“You promise?”“I promise,” Clary repeated with a lot of conviction.“Can you promise me something else? When we meet again, we'll go to the ocean and we'll swim together. You know, the whole facing your fears thing.” Maia laughed but she was about to start crying at any moment.Clary smiled weakly at her. “It's a date then.”





	Let's go to the sea

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone ! The shadowhunters wlw bingo is ending but I'm not done yet! This fic covers two squares for team yellow : "childhood crushes reunion au" and "childhood friends to lovers" !
> 
> This fic was inspired by "Colors of your canvas" by @MalecHeline!  
Go check her fic! https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887343
> 
> Also! I have no idea how primary schools work in other countries but when I was a kid I didn't have school on Wednesdays! So that's why Maia can attend painting lessons. 
> 
> Trigger warnings:
> 
> *mention of Maia's fear of the ocean
> 
> *partial nudity: Maia and Clary go swimming together so they obviously take off their clothes
> 
> Also I was listening to "Farewell" by Apocalyptica when I was writing this fic so that's maybe why some parts are kinda intense :')

Honestly, Maia didn't really know what she was doing there. Her parents absolutely wanted her to choose an after-school activity, saying that having a passion will help her to open up to the world around her. She knew they meant well but nothing really interested her so she just chose whatever was closest to the house. So here she was, signed up for painting classes even if art had no particular appeal to her. She liked to read sure, but paint? Not really.

But unfortunately, staying at the library all day wasn't a good way to socialize with other children. 

Maia sighed and got her stuff out of her school bag. She'd better get used to this because she would be in this painting class every Wednesday afternoon for at least a year. What had she gotten herself into? 

“Is this seat taken?”

Maia lifted her head, trying to see the owner of the voice and met the eyes of a cute redhead girl. She seemed nice and having a painting buddy would make the time more enjoyable so Maia didn't think about it for too long.

“Not at all, please sit.” She smiled and put her bag on the ground.

“I'm Clary.” The girl said as she sat next to Maia.

“Maia, nice to meet you.”

“Same!”

And that's when their friendship began. Maia wasn't more interested in paintings but now she was waiting for Wednesday afternoons with impatience. Firstly because Clary was very talented and watching her paint was a blessing but also because she was funny and Maia liked talking with her. On a more serious note, attending all these classes improved Maia's drawings and she had made a lot of progress. Unlike Clary, Maia had no intention of becoming a full-time artist, but she had a good time so these painting lessons weren't a bad idea after all.

***

They grew up and went to middle school in the same town. Maia had chosen to start a completely different activity and joined a dance club. Clary kept her art lessons but maybe the universe wanted them to be closer because they ended up in the same class. Soon enough, they became the inseparable best friends who were always together and went through every situation. The years passed and their friendship, forged with sleepovers and all the “trying to help each other with homework” afternoons, only grew stronger.

When Maia was 16, she decided to repaint the walls of her room. It was spring break but her parents were working so she was home alone. Well, not really alone because Clary was obviously invited to spend some days at the house. Needless to say, Clary was truly excited to help Maia redecorate her room. Maybe a little too much. 

“So, what do you want me to paint?” Clary asked once they had pushed aside all the furniture and protected the floor.

Maia looked at her room. She'd gotten tired of the basic light beige covering the walls, she wanted to change the color but also to add a more personal touch. 

“What about the sea?”

Maia's always had a conflicted relationship with the sea. She found it beautiful with all these shades of blue but the gigantic waves and the quiet but habited depths were terrifying to her. She wasn't afraid of water, she had no problem swimming in a pool for hours but she couldn't approach the sea. When a trip to the beach was organized by her friends, she just sat on the sand. She passed time by reading a book or watching the majestic and impressive spectacle the sea gave her from afar. Most of the time, Clary ended up joining her and she drew some sketches of the landscape. That was one of the peaceful moments they shared together, the ones Maia hoped they could last forever. 

Maia definitely knew that choosing the sea as her new decoration was symbolic but she thought a lot about it and she liked this idea.

“Trying to fight your demons by facing them?” Clary said teasingly.

“I like the sea and the ocean. I just don't like being too close to them.”

Clary smiled and tied up her hair into a ponytail before rolling up her sleeves. She checked one last time that everything was ready and looked pretty satisfied. 

“Alright partner, let's get to work then!”

“Does my suggestion inspire you?” Maia asked, fixing the bandana she had put in her hair to keep it away from her face.

Clary winked and Maia's heart skipped a beat. “I am always inspired.”

They both took a brush and on Clary's advice, they started painting the wall with a light blue which would be used as a foundation. 

Clary knew what she was doing so Maia followed her instructions, adding darker colors to do the shading while the other worked on the details. 

They weren't doing much talking but there wasn't a heavy silence in the room. They were simply focused on the painting, taking their time to do things right. They were used to this, being next to each other, enjoying the other's company without saying a word. It was their thing. Maia couldn't explain it, it just felt easy to be with Clary, she never had to try finding a way to start a conversation, it always came naturally. And if they had nothing to say, they wouldn't use words and enjoy the silence. It was just obvious. It'd always been like that. Being with Clary was obvious. 

Maia stopped what she was doing and looked at her best friend. Clary could be clumsy sometimes, but when she was drawing or painting, she was extremely careful and a perfectionist. Maia observed her for a few minutes with fascination, but then she noticed something and she couldn't help but laugh.

Clary frowned and glanced at Maia, trying to figure out why she was suddenly so amused.

“What?” She asked, completely lost.

“You have some paint... There.” Maia brushed her thumb against Clary's cheek delicately, removing the paint.

Maia didn't know what got into her, she acted without thinking and at first she didn't realize what she had done. Then she held her breath and stopped moving, confused by her own gesture. The touch felt so intimate they both shivered. 

Clary parted her lips and Maia followed the movement with her eyes. She wanted to kiss her. They were so close. She just had to lean in. 

Maia knew that her feelings towards Clary had changed over the years, she didn't understand them completely, but one thing was sure, she wasn't looking at Clary the same way as when they were kids. But they were only friends, right? Clary would never feel the same way about her, Maia would have noticed it if Clary had a crush on her... Right?

Yes, Maia wanted to kiss Clary but she didn't want to risk their friendship. She didn't mind being best friends and nothing more, as long as she still had her in her life. So she didn't try anything and the moment was gone. They stepped back and both acted like nothing had happened. 

An hour later, the work was done and Clary and Maia were contemplating the result of their labor. It looked great and Maia was glad she had this idea. She crossed her arms on her chest and smiled. 

“We're a pretty good team, don't you think?” 

Clary nodded, she looked proud too. “Damn right we are!”

Maia inhaled deeply. Yeah, friends. She could definitely do that. 

***

Maia was at the airport. She had insisted on staying with Clary until her plane was here. She didn't want Clary to leave but asking her to stay would be too selfish. She couldn't do that to Clary. Clary had been accepted into a prestigious art school, it was a big opportunity for her and it would help her with her career. Honestly, Maia was truly happy for her. But it hurt. It hurt because Clary had to move to a different country, far away from where Maia lived. 

Maia had no choice but to accept that sad reality so she tried to enjoy these last minutes with Clary. Her smile looked fake but Clary didn't say anything about it. She understood. She was devastated too, after all. 

The fateful moment arrived. Clary heard a voice coming from the loudspeakers of the airport saying that her flight was there.

“Don't forget me when you're a world-famous artist.” Maia joked, trying to deal with the situation.

“I could never forget you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Clary repeated with a lot of conviction.

“Can you promise me something else? When we meet again, we'll go to the ocean and we'll swim together. You know, the whole facing your fears thing.” Maia laughed but she was about to start crying at any moment. 

Clary smiled weakly at her. “It's a date then.” 

And she left. And Maia's heart broke.

***

Maia was 17 when Clary left. She was 25 now. The first year following Clary's departure was extremely difficult but with time, it got easier. Not easy, but easier. They texted each other at the beginning but after a few years, they lost touch. Maia couldn't blame Clary who was barely sleeping because she was too invested in her career. And Maia had to be honest with herself, it was her fault too. She had thrown herself in her studies, which had been time-consuming and thinking about her own future helped in a way. She had always dreamt of being a marine biologist and now she was finally one. Maia was proud of herself. She'd studied so hard for this and she deserved it. 

She wanted to celebrate her doctorate in marine biology but not alone. Something was missing in her life and she wanted to fix that. 

Clary had become pretty famous now, a lot of people were coming to her exhibitions and she even had an official website where her fans could find out the cities where she would go next. In the following days, an exhibition was organized in a city well known for its beautiful ocean and there were a few tickets left so Maia didn't hesitate. 

Maia took a flight the day before and the wait was unbearable. She was mentally repeating what she wanted to say to Clary over and over to the point where the words didn't make any sense anymore. When Maia finally walked down the reception hall, she felt a little anxious. What did she want to say already? 

When she arrived at the show, Clary was already there, greeting the guests and visitors. She was truly gorgeous with a fringe and this colorful dress. Maia stood back, waiting for a quieter moment to make her entrance because she didn't want to disturb Clary. Everyone started to wander around the room to look at the different paintings and Clary was finally alone. Maia took her chance and came closer. Clary saw her. And Maia wasn't expecting her to directly jump in her arms. 

“I missed you so much.” Clary's voice was shaking. 

“I missed you too.” Maia hugged her back. She didn't want to let go. 

“I wanted to call you. I swear I did. But I didn't know what to tell you.”

“It's okay.” Maia was whispering now. “I understand.”

She smiled at her, immensely happy to finally hold her.

“Your art is absolutely gorgeous. I'm so glad you're getting the recognition you deserve.”

“Thank you so much, you always believed in me and I never forgot it.”

“Of course I did.”

Clary was about to answer but a visitor approached her, probably wanting to question her about the meaning of one of her paintings. Clary bit her lower lip and looked really sorry. Maia shook her head.

“Do your job, I'm not going anywhere.”

“The exhibition will end at 8 pm. Meet me at the entrance?”

“I'll be there.” 

Clary smiled. “It's a date then.” 

***

“Where are we going?” Maia asked.

The show was over and as agreed, Clary had joined Maia immediately. They were now walking together and Clary was leading her because Maia had no idea where they were going. 

“To the ocean,” Clary answered, “I made a promise, remember?”

Maia looked at her, pleasantly surprised. “You didn't forget.”

“I would never forget you.”

Maia couldn't contain the ridiculous smile this sentence gave her. Of course, she wouldn't.

The ocean was so peaceful, the sandy beach was completely deserted and the water wasn't moving at all. 

“So,” Clary put her little bag on the ground. “Wanna swim a little?”

Maia looked at the ocean and hesitated.

“You don't have to do it if that's too much for you.” Clary quickly reassured her. “We can just lay down and look at the stars.”

“No, it's okay. I want to.” 

“I'll stay with you the whole time.” Clary said and Maia nodded. She trusted her.

They got rid of their clothes, keeping only their underwear before getting closer to the water. Maia breathed deeply and Clary took her hands, squeezing them gently. 

“It's gonna be okay.”

“I know. I feel safe with you.”

And Maia meant it. 

They slowly went into the water and they were still holding hands. Maia realized they were swimming. After all these years, she had finally faced her fear.

“I did it!” Maia said with enthusiasm. Feeling the water against her skin was truly amazing. 

“You did. I'm really proud of you.” Clary was ecstatic and she laughed because Maia's happiness was warming her heart.

Maia got carried away and she didn't fully control her words. “That's all thanks to you. I love you.” 

She didn't know why she'd suddenly felt so brave and finally confessed her love after hiding for so long. But when she realized what she had said, she was mortified. She wasn't ready to handle Clary's rejection. Not now. Not after finally filling the void in her heart. 

But Clary looked at her and smiled.

“I love you too. I've always loved you.”

And Maia understood that even if she was a marine biologist, she had zero brain cells. All the time they'd lost because they were just too oblivious... 

“I love you.” Maia repeated, loving how these three little words sounded. 

Clary chuckled. “I love you more.”

“I don't think so.”

“Well, there's only one way to know.” Clary suggested with a teasing smile. 

Maia smirked. She pulled Clary closer and kissed her.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to let a kudo and/or a comment, thank you in advance! 
> 
> Send a lot of love to @randomrambler who was my beta for this fic!
> 
> You can find me on twitter (@Onceuponavideo1) !


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